Audi A4 Multitronic
Discussion
Been looking at some A4 B8 saloons for my mother. She wants auto and most of the autos are multitronics. A few that I’ve spotted don’t seem to have recorded history of the gearbox being serviced. Would it be wise to give them a miss?
Any other advice about multitronics is appreciated.
Any other advice about multitronics is appreciated.
I'd miss the early multitronics. The conventional automatic 6 speed tiptronics are the pick of the bunch as they are the most reliable unit and are common enough to get serviced anywhere (ZF6HP unit). The early DSG S-Tronic units are not too reliable, there can be issues with clutch packs, and require regular maintenance of 40K mile oil changes, but are bearable and fast. The 6-speed auto and the DSG come with the Quattro systems only I believe, however Torsen based systems lead to higher fuel consumption than the Haldex based AWD systems, as they are permanent 4WD.
2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, like most TFSI engines, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
Later multitronics had their large issues engineered out, but it is important to research the multitronic unit in the B8 A4. The B7 suffered more, the B8 less so.
2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, like most TFSI engines, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
Later multitronics had their large issues engineered out, but it is important to research the multitronic unit in the B8 A4. The B7 suffered more, the B8 less so.
Edited by rayyan171 on Thursday 12th July 15:42
rayyan171 said:
I'd miss the early multitronics. The conventional automatic 6 speed tiptronics are the pick of the bunch as they are the most reliable unit and are common enough to get serviced anywhere (ZF6HP unit). The early DSG S-Tronic units are not too reliable and require regular maintenance, but are bearable. The normal gearboxes come with the Quattro systems only I believe, but that isn't much of an issue as they moved to Haldex-based systems rather than Torsen-based systems, meaning that fuel economy is good with them as they aren't permanent 4WD (therefore called AWD instead).
2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
B8 A4 still Torsen when fitted with Quattro.2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
Basically:
Transverse engine = Haldex
Inline engine = Torsen
Might have changed for the very latest stuff.
There are a few inaccuracies in rayyan171's post above but if you're looking at a 2 wheel drive auto B8 then the multitronics ar epretty good and work particularly nicely if you like a smooth, refined drive. They do not have whip-crack reactions but do make for a very chilled driving esperience. I rather like them for my fairly boring commute.
Whilst those boxes behave pretty well I would be wary of one that had not had its oil change at close to the 40k mark. If it went to 45 nobody is going to care but if you're talking 70 on its original oil then they're common enough cars than you can be choosy and look elsewhere.
What sort of age/mileage/budget are we talking about? The facelift A4s (12 on) with the 1.8T petrol I quite like.
Whilst those boxes behave pretty well I would be wary of one that had not had its oil change at close to the 40k mark. If it went to 45 nobody is going to care but if you're talking 70 on its original oil then they're common enough cars than you can be choosy and look elsewhere.
What sort of age/mileage/budget are we talking about? The facelift A4s (12 on) with the 1.8T petrol I quite like.
k away from them? (Went for a manual in the end). That was a few years ago mind!rayyan171 said:
I'd miss the early multitronics. The conventional automatic 6 speed tiptronics are the pick of the bunch as they are the most reliable unit and are common enough to get serviced anywhere (ZF6HP unit). The early DSG S-Tronic units are not too reliable, there can be issues with clutch packs, and require regular maintenance of 40K mile oil changes, but are bearable and fast. The 6-speed auto and the DSG come with the Quattro systems only I believe, however Torsen based systems lead to higher fuel consumption than the Haldex based AWD systems, as they are permanent 4WD.
2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, like most TFSI engines, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
Later multitronics had their large issues engineered out, but it is important to research the multitronic unit in the B8 A4. The B7 suffered more, the B8 less so.
Edited.2.0TFSI engines are susceptible to some issues such as oil burn and coking of the inlets, like most TFSI engines, so look out for those, but they are otherwise solid units.
Ensure to check which gearbox is in the car, as S-Tronic units were either DSG or normal autos. Easy to tell the difference, the DSG doesn't have a tendency to creep forward when off the brake but autos will creep.
Later multitronics had their large issues engineered out, but it is important to research the multitronic unit in the B8 A4. The B7 suffered more, the B8 less so.
Edited by rayyan171 on Thursday 12th July 15:42
Yeah a little more tricky at that money but the 1.8Ts were better than the 2.0Ts; timing chain issues on them seem far less common than the transverse version too. I guess if you could find one privately so you could speak with the owner directly or from a dealer that has good documentation you'd be OK. Private owner can tell you if any major work has been done and if it has suffered with oil consumption (but been repaired) they'll be able to tell you about it. Equally if a dealer car has documentation to say it's been sorted you're fine.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the 2.0 TDI in these (the CR version in a B8 is a billion times improved over the old PD engine sin B7s), any idea how many miles it will be covering in a year? If it is just doing 'mum' mileage and pottering around that will take its toll on DPF, EGR etc. in time.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the 2.0 TDI in these (the CR version in a B8 is a billion times improved over the old PD engine sin B7s), any idea how many miles it will be covering in a year? If it is just doing 'mum' mileage and pottering around that will take its toll on DPF, EGR etc. in time.
Around 10k miles a year comprising mainly town driving. As good as the diesel CR engines are, I’ve advised to give them a miss due to the surely inevitable DPF issues.
The 2.0t isn’t in consideration because of the oil consumption and chain issues. Do they also affect the 1.8t?
Any other information and things to look out for/be wary of on the B8 platform would be appreciated.
The 2.0t isn’t in consideration because of the oil consumption and chain issues. Do they also affect the 1.8t?
Any other information and things to look out for/be wary of on the B8 platform would be appreciated.
I would consider a 3.2. There is no doubt they are much more reliable. We were considering an A4 3.2, they were all Quattro and quite a few even came with manuals, but we wanted something bigger so an A6 3.0T was the final pick. Still a great car to shortlist, believe the 3.2 packs a punch.
RronD said:
I have A4 B8 2014 2.0 TDi with multitronic and has 180k miles on it, not a single problem, it gets regular oil change every 40k. Still going strong. Cheers
To back that up, my 2011 A4 Avant 2.0 TDI I've had from new is on 151k miles with the multitronic. As long as the gearbox oil is changed every 40k or so you'll be fine. The key bit is to look for the 7 plate clutch pack, it was the previous 6 plate (up to about 09 so included some early B8's) that caused the issues.Gassing Station | Audi, Seat, Skoda & VW | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff